Rotary cutter and topper.



PATBNTBD JAN. 23, 1906.

F. DENSMOOR. ROTARY CUTTER AND TOPPER.

- APPLIOATION FILED M1031. 1004.

WHA/5555.-

FRANK DENSMOOR, OF MARKESAN, WISCONSIN.

ROTARY lCUTTER AND TOPPER.

A Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application led December 31,1904. Serial No. 239,085.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK DENsMooR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Markesan, county of Green Lake, and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented new and useful Imrovements in Rotary Cutters and Toppers, ofwhich the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary cutters and toppers.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of this class whichwill be especially adapted for the cutting of cornstalks, the sainebeing attached to a corn harvester or binder in any convenient manner, i

In the following description reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of my invention, show-` l ingtIiegatherers and driving-shafts in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is atransverse sectional view drawn on the axes of the drivingshafts of thecutters. 4

Like parts are identied by the same reference characters in both views.

1 and 2 are the gatherers. These are arranged to form a sup portin frameor housing for the cutters and extent divergingly forwardly for thepurpose of gathering the stalks. The shape and style of these gatherersis not material to my invention, however, as any of the numerous devicesof this character now in use may be employed. A rotary cuttingdisk 4 ismounted on a shaft 5,'which is preferabl journaled in the frame of thegatherer 1 an( is driven through a sprocket-Wheel 7, mounted upon theshaft 5. The disk 4 rojects through aI slot 8 in the inner wall o thcgatherer, and its margin is beveled downwardly and outwardly to acomparatively sharp edge at 10.

Another cutting-disk 11 is mounted on a shaft 12, j ournaled in theframe of the gatherer 2. This disk occupies a lower lane than the disk 4and on the inner si e lextends through a slot 13 in the gatherer andlaps undernath the inner edge of the disk 4 in approximate contacttherewith. The margin 14 of this disk is beveled upwardly and outwardly,forming a comparatively Shar cutting edge'at 15. The shaft 12 and disk11 are driven through a sprocket-wheel 17 on the shaft 12. The disk 4 isdriven at a much higher rate of speed than the disk 11, the srocket-wlieel 7 being made a little smaller t an the s rocket-wheel 17for that purpose. The sproclEet-Wheels 7 and 17 are separately driven,it. being necessary to' leave an open space above and below the meetingedges of t e disks 4 and 11 for the stalks and stubble; but any suitabledriving connections may be em lo Yed for transmitting motion to the dis(s rom the machine to which my invention is a plied. i

The s aft 12 is provided with a w eel 20, having radiallyrejectingfingers 21, he latter bein curve backwardly with reference to thedirection of wheel rotation, the outer ends of the fingers bein thusmade to trail to some extent. These ngers21, projecting over the inneredge of the disk 4, serve to direct the stalks into the angle formed bythe lapping edges of the disks. The disks are driven in oppositedirections, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 1. f ,l

The margins of both Adisks are provided with inwardly-extending slotssubdividing the margins of the disks into teeth. The' slots extend at an-angle into the edges of the disks with a tangential pitch, so that theintervening teeth have'a rake opposite that of disk rotation. Inpractice the slots are located in close proximit to each other, both theteethand the slots ein made as long as is practicable without undu yweakening the teeth. The cuttin edges thus reduced have been found eicient for cutting cornstalks or other substancesv having'hard or`glazed outer s .irfaces and an interior pith.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the described class, the combination of a set ofartially-overlap ing rotary disksdriven at iierent speeds; diivingconnections for each of said disks arranged to impart a different speedto one of the disks from that of the other, and a set ofradiallyprojecting gathering iin ers rotating on the same axiswitlithewer gwly moving disk and pro-eating over t inner edge ci themore ra idly movi ilisk.

2. In a device o the descri l class, the combination cfa set of rotarydisks; a supporting-shaft for each of said disks; a set ofgathering-fingers connected with one of said shafts; and means fordrivin said shafts at different rates of s eed, the disk on one shafthaving its inner e ge interposed between the disk and gathering-iingerson the other shaft.

3. In a device of the described class, the combination of a set ofrotary disks; a sup- IOO IIO

porting-shaft foreach of said disks; a set of j combination of a set ofrotary disks; a supporting-shaft for each of said disks; a set ofgathering-fingers connected with one of said shafts; and means fordrivingsaid shafts at di'erent rates of speed, the disk on one shafthaving its inner edge interposed between the disk and gathering-fingerson the other shaft, and each of said disks having its margin beveled inthe direction of the other and slotted to form a series of teeth havingan angular rake opposite that of disk rotation.

5; In a device of the described class, the combination of a set ofdriving-shafts means for driving one of the shafts at a greater sp eedthan the other; a disk mounted on the slower shaft and a setofgathering-iingers mounted on saidslower shaft abovev said disk; a diskmounted on the faster shaft and partially intei posed between the diskon the slower shaft and said gatheringingers said disks having theirmargins beveled, each in the direction of the other and arranged totravel in approximate contact.

6, In a device of the described class, the combination of a set ofdriving-shafts; means for driving one of the shafts at a greater rate ofspeed than the other; a disk mounted on the slower shaft and a set ofgathering-iingers mounted on said slower shaft above said disk; a diskmounted on the faster shaft and partially interposed between the disk onthe slower shaft and said gathering-fingers; said disks having theirmargins beveled each in the direction of the other, and arranged totravel in approximate contact; and disks being provided with marginalcutting-teeth.

In testimony Whereoic I aH'iX my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

FRAN K DENSMOOR.

JOHN L. MILLARD, JAS. R. DENsMooR.

